Jesus proclaimed salvation through knowledge, the self-knowledge of the divine light within

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" The knowledge claimed by these people (gnostics) is not worldly

knowledge but mystical knowledge, knowledge of God and self and the

relationship between God and self. In the Gospel of Judas, the word

gnosis is used twice (50, 54), and in the second instance the text

mentions " knowledge to be [given] to Adam and those with him, so that

the king of chaos and the underworld might not lord it over them. "

This passage suggests that the knowledge coming to Adam and the

descendants of Adam--the human race--offers protection and salvation

from the powers of this world. As Bart Ehram also points out in his

essay, the Gospel of Judas and Jesus himself in this gospel thus

proclaim salvation through knowledge, the self-knowledge of the

divine light within. "

 

The Gospel of Judas, pages 138-9

National Geographic, April 6, 2006

ISBN - 10:1426200420

ISBN - 13:9781426200427

 

" The reappearance of the Gospel of Judas will rank among the greatest

finds from Christian antiquity and is without doubt the most

important archaeological discovery of the past 60 years. What will

make this gospel famous—or infamous, perhaps—is that it portrays

Judas quite differently from anything we previously knew. Here he is

not the evil, corrupt, devil-inspired follower of Jesus who betrayed

his master; he is instead Jesus' closest intimate and friend, the one

who understood Jesus better than anyone else, who turned Jesus over

to the authorities because Jesus wanted him to do so. This gospel has

a completely different understanding of God, the world, Christ,

salvation, human existence—not to mention of Judas himself—than came

to be embodied in the Christian creeds and canon. It will open up new

vistas for understanding Jesus and the religious movement he founded. "

 

—Bart D. Ehrman

 

 

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and chair

of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill. His principal areas of research interest

include New Testament interpretation and history of ancient

Christianity (first three centuries), especially orthodoxy and

heresy. Ehrman came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at

Rutgers University. He has published extensively in the fields of the

New Testament and Early Christianity, having written or edited 19

books, numerous articles and dozens of anthologies of early Christian

writings. Among his most recent books are Lost Christianities: The

Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew (Oxford Press),

Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It Into the New Testament

(Oxford) and Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible

and Why (HarperSanFrancisco). Ehrman has served as president of the

Southeast Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, chair of the

New Testament textual criticism section of the Society, book review

editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, and editor of the

monograph series The New Testament in the Greek Fathers. He currently

serves as co-editor of the series New Testament Tools and Studies.

Ehrman received his bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in

Illinois and completed his M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees at Princeton

Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum

laude.

 

 

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" Did You See The Sun, A Light? "

 

On the very first day of Sahaja Yoga self-realization and meditation

Kash found himself standing on an endless cover of clouds. Where was

this incredible, utterly peaceful Shangri-La he had stumbled upon?

 

There was one distinguishing celestial landscape that held him

spellbound — The Light! It was shining high above at a distance.

 

He kept gazing at it, spellbound by its indescribable uniqueness and

infinite luminosity. It was an extremely bright globe, much brighter

than many suns. In spite of its dazzling brightness it never hurt the

eyes.

 

Since Kash had never seen anything that bright he thought it must be

the sun, but at a much closer proximity. His father, finding no other

logical explanation, also agreed.

 

After months of meditation it began to slowly dawn that what Kash was

seeing could not possibly be the sun.

 

But Kash kept on insisting that it had to be as nothing he had seen

on Earth shone so bright.

 

Uncertainty came into his father's inquisitive mind. He had this

peculiar habit of not believing anything unknown or speculative

unless proven beyond a shadow of reasonable doubt. The sun that his

son was seeing did not make sense. Not only was it just above the

Great Adi Shakti but it did not emit heat!

 

On September 11, 1994, at 13:05 p.m., the word Shaibhang (Self-

illumined) at the opening stanza of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib

indicated that there was more to this Truth than met the mind. If

Guru Nanak had described Shaibhang to be Self-Illumined, then

the " very bright sun " that Kash spoke about could not be true.

Moreover, his extraordinary observation of this 'sun' created more

questions and doubts. He maintained that:

 

i) This " Sun " is always behind Her at an angle but is not

directly above, that is, at about 45 degrees.

 

ii) It did not rise and fall like the earthly sun. The " Sun "

above Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is fixed and stationary.

 

iii) This " Sun " illuminates the entire Kingdom of God. Every

thing is seen very clearly and in fine detail, down to the different

hues of skin tone. (That is why Kash was absolutely sure that Shri

Jesus had a light brown skin, and wearing whitish gray clothes

stretched taut by the sheer size of His muscular body.)

 

1v) Kash could not ascertain the exact size and distance of

this " Sun " despite numerous visits.

 

v) In spite of its intense brightness this " Sun " emitted no

heat. On the contrary, Kash said that the rays are cool!

 

Then one day he astounded his father by claiming that there are no

shadows from the rays of this Sun! In all his journeys Kash insisted

he never saw any shadow in the Kingdom of the Spirit.

 

Though questioned many times he maintained that this " Sun " does not

produce any shadow, physical properties that are ubiquitous in our

universal sun.

 

Kash was told by his father to clarify this issue with Shri Viswamata

Nirmala Devi. There was something strange about this " Sun " that Kash

daily witnessed.

 

Kash meditated and the Divine Kundalini at the sacrum bone took him

up the Tree of Life into the Bridal Chamber. He burst through the

clouds and reached His Kingdom within. The Infinite Light shone ever

so brilliantly from above the Eternal Throne of the Great Mater

Divinae Gratiae (Mother of Divine Grace) as She sat in Bliss and Joy.

Shri Lok Mata Shri Nirmala Devi met him and the question of the " Sun "

above Her was put forward.

 

The Spirit of the Living God then explained that it was not the sun

that he was seeing but the Light.

 

A few years later on April 7, 1996 Kash's younger brother Arwinder

was asked if he had seen any sun or light when meditating with the

Great Primordial Mother.

 

He immediately replied that there was always a Light at Her place,

but was not the sun. He was sure of the difference as this Light,

though extremely bright, did not hurt the eyes. He added that unlike

the Earth sun that blinds his eyes easily, one can look at this Light

for as long as possible. However, he could not recall if there were

shadows or not.

 

On February 23, 1998, at 11.40 a.m. he was again asked about this

Light above Shri Mataji. He reconfirmed that it was always above Her.

He was then asked if there were shadows or not. This time he

immediately replied that there were none. He was asked if he was very

sure. His reply was that he was definitely sure.

 

On July 10 1998, at 10.35 a.m. Arwinder was posed the same question

as to whether this Light caused any shadows. Again he replied there

were none.

 

We must understand that for a child to say that light cause no

shadows in the Spiritual World, unlike the common daily experience on

Earth, requires the overwhelming confidence of an authentic spiritual

experience.

 

On May 4, 2004 at 7.30 am 10-year-old Lalita was asked about this

Light:

 

Father: What is above Shri Mataji's head?

 

Lalita: The Light.

 

Father: Can you look at it for a long time?

 

Lalita: Yes, you can look at it.

 

Father: Does it not blind you?

 

Lalita: It doesn't blind me.

 

Father: Is it different from the sun you see on Earth?

 

Lalita: Yes.

 

Father: Why?

 

Lalita: It's smaller.

 

Father: Anything else?

 

Lalita: It doesn't blind you. What else? ...... It's brighter. OK?

 

Father: Thank you Lalita.

 

This Light is always above the Great Divine Mother, and this Spirit

of God Almighty resides within the Sahasraras of all humans. Unlike

Her incarnation on Earth as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, now an aging

octogenarian, She is eternally youthful and of unsurpassable

beauty. Kash, Arwinder and Lalita have always maintained that they

have never seen any woman as beautiful as Shri Maha-Devi who is

truly the Great Primordial Goddess. (Shri Saraswati, Laxshmi and

Kali are also extremely beautiful but none are comparable with the

Maha-Devi.)

 

 

Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:59 pm

 

A few months ago i asked my ten-year-old daughter Lalita what that

immensely brilliant Light above the Adi Shakti in her Sahasrara

is. She replied " God! "

 

i remained silent for a long time to absorb the immensity of that

single word answer.

 

 

------------------

 

" As Jesus talks with his three chosen disciples, Matthew asks him to

show him the " place of life, " which is, he says, the " pure light. "

Jesus answers, " Every one [of you] who has known himself has seen

it. " 53 Here again, he deflects the question, pointing the disciple

instead toward his own self-discovery. "

(53. Dialogue of the Savior 132.15 — 16, in NHL 233.)

 

Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels,

Random House, New York, 1989, p. 131

 

 

" It is such a powerful Light. You can verify it whether it is eternal

or not. You have to see for yourself you have such a unique Light

within you. In the history of spirituality of this world so many have

got Realization — such a Light in them. How could these stupid,

flimsy, useless conditionings dominate you now, when you are the

carrier of Eternal Light? "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Being The Light Of Pure Compassion, Istanbul, Turkey

November 6, 1994

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